


All That Remains

by annetheseamaiden



Series: The White Queen | One Shots [15]
Category: The Tudors (TV), The White Queen (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-01
Updated: 2015-09-01
Packaged: 2018-04-18 13:17:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4707326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annetheseamaiden/pseuds/annetheseamaiden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A spring afternoon brings Queen Elizabeth of York memories from the past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All That Remains

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing on Elizabeth and Henry :D

Henry noticed that there was something wrong with his queen. She was present in his chamber, but her thoughts were not. He had not seen that look in her eyes for years, not since her dear mother passed away. Her eyes were lost in thoughts, reminiscing of something unknown to him.

As he got into bed, King Henry VII of England waited for the right moment, the invitation of his wife to allow him to ask what was going through her mind; and he waited. When Elizabeth turned around to face him, she reached for his hand and kissed him.

“What is it, Bess?” Henry asked. “Why are you so away from me this night?”

“I am right here, Henry.”

Oh how he loved her, Henry thought. Her subtle ways of trying to distract him.

“Yes, you are, but your lovely head is not. I know very well when you are thinking of something. You get so distracted and I know very well that you wish to unburden yourself. Now, share your burden with me. I plead you Bess. I do not like it when you go to sleep with that weary look on your lovely face.”

“Ghosts of the past are haunting my thoughts.” Elizabeth sighed, “Something from long ago remind me of something in the very present.”

“Could I help to banish those thoughts?” Henry asked.

“Even when they are bittersweet?” Elizabeth asked looking up at him

“Tell me my dear wife of mine. What makes your sweet thoughts turn bitter?”

Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed. He knew very well what haunted her.“You know very well, Henry. And I know that you do not like to think or talk about it, but today it came to my mind. I do not know if it was the spring breeze or the scent of those wild flowers, but I remembered.”

Henry knew her very well, but yet he was not able to literally read her thoughts.

“I do not like to bring that subject up because you become melancolic.” Henry said as he pulled her towards his chest “Are you thinking of you Father, my darling queen? Or your lost brothers?”

“Neither.” Elizabeth sighed as she shook her head. “My Uncles and my Father, on a spring day. A day very much like this one. He had gone hunting, and I remember very well that day because my Uncle of Clarence and Gloucester were laughing like they had not in a very long time.”

“Banish those ghosts.” Henry suggested, “For tonight and for always.”

“I do not think of them often, husband. Is just today, watching Mary and Margaret bring you and me those flowers reminded me of myself at their age. That day, Henry, I went with my dear sister Mary and Cecily to the gardens and we picked some flowers with our bare hands.” The tone of her voice changed into a melodic song. “Oh their stems were long, and my Lady Mother taught us to make necklaces and flower crowns. I remember Mary wanting to give one to Papa, and we went there. The three of them were laughing when Mary and I entered. Cecily was still a little behind, since you know how short her legs are. But Mary had announced that she had gifts. I remember seeing a smile in Gloucester’s face. Maybe it was because he had no true born daughter, but he smiled and it was odd. The man hardly smiled, and that they he was laughing too. Mary gave him the necklace that we made, and I gave my Uncle of Clarence the crown I made along with the necklace because he picked me up and asked me how I was doing. Of course we gave once to my Father. But I felt so happy that day because they all wore it to the feast that night. Grown men, Henry, wearing flower crowns and flower necklaces just to please Cecily, lovely Mary and Me.”

Henry smiled. “Why is it bitter then?” He asked.

“Oh come on Henry! How do you not know?”

“I know very well why it is bitter.” Henry said, “And why such memory is sweet. But the questions truly belongs to you. Why do you find it bitter besides the obvious events that happened with both of your Uncles and the death of your Father?”

“How could they, all, including my Father were so prone to shed their own blood just for the unholy sake of power?” Elizabeth asked. “If they were happy such day. Why did they had to tear my family apart? I know that it does sound as if my thoughts came from an innocent child with filled with hope and forgiveness, but I cannot help it but to think of an if.”

“Oh my sweet darling!” Henry sighed as he kissed the top of her head, “I understand it very well. It makes you the good wife, mother and Queen that you are. It would have been exceptional if your family had gotten along well.” Henry said, “And trust me and believe me when I say this my love, I would have given my life just so you did not know such pain.”

There were no tears in her face, but her eyes were watery. Those times always brought water to her eyes, and always they stayed there, in her eyes.

“Oh no Henry.” Elizabeth sighed as she sat up straight to face him. 

“Never say that. I just thought of it. I will never regret you, or change you to change what has happened. We are each other.” Elizabeth said, “We owe each other who we are, and I wouldn’t have been me if I had never met you. You gave me a beautiful family, and love that I would never regret of experiencing.” Elizabeth smiled, “I just— I do not know. I shouldn’t even be thinking of it. Of them, who brought me, us, my Motherso much pain, but I cannot help it to remember who they were before who they became. In what exact moment did things became wrong? When did they started disliking and having no trust and respect to each other?”

“We will never know that.” Henry said after her pause, “But we can only benefit from it.” He said as he caressed her cheekbones. “We have to learn from their mistakes and push aside all of those negative things that you think that were wrong and instead learn from the good ones.”

“That is all that remains.” Elizabeth sighed, already knowing that nothing would have been the same if it had not happened the way it had. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
